Please Help Us Keep These Thousands of Blog Posts Growing and Free for All

$5.00

Unravel the concept of divine inspiration behind the Bible. This article examines how the Holy Spirit influenced its human authors, merging heavenly direction with earthly expression, resulting in a scriptural masterpiece that remains foundational for Christian faith and life, embodying absolute truth and authority.

The Concept of Divine Inspiration

The belief that God inspired the Bible means that the Holy Spirit supernaturally influenced the writers of the Scriptures. This divine influence guided them in the process of writing, ensuring that their writings accurately conveyed God’s message to humanity. The key aspect of this inspiration is that while the human authors were actively involved in writing, the ultimate source of their message was the Holy Spirit.

Biblical Foundation for Inspiration

Scriptural Testimonies

Numerous passages in the Bible attest to its divine origin. For instance, 2 Peter 1:20-21 emphasizes that prophecy never came by human will, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, 2 Timothy 3:16 declares that all Scripture is God-breathed, indicating its divine source.

Prophetic Commission

Throughout the Old Testament, we see God commanding His prophets to write His words. Moses (Exodus 17:14; 34:27), Joshua (Joshua 24:15-26), and others like Isaiah (Isaiah 30:8) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 30:2; 36:2, 17, 28-29) were instructed to pen down God’s revelations. These commands underscore the Bible’s nature as God’s initiative, not merely a human search for the divine.

The Reading Culture of Early Christianity

The Role of Human Writers

Providential Preparation

God prepared the human authors in various ways – through their heredity, experiences, vocabularies, and writing styles. This preparation meant that while their personalities and contexts influenced their writing, the content remained under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit.

The Canon Formation

The process of canonizing the Scriptures also points to divine guidance. Early on, inspired writings were recognized and preserved alongside sacred items like the ark of the covenant (Deuteronomy 31:24-26). This process was not haphazard but guided by a recognition of God’s voice in these writings.

Jesus Christ’s Affirmation of the Old Testament

Validation of Old Testament Scriptures

Jesus Christ validated the Old Testament by frequently quoting from it. In Luke 24:44, He refers to the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, affirming their divine authority. His teaching consistently upheld the Old Testament as God’s inspired word.

New Testament Inspiration

Apostolic Revelation

The New Testament, although not directly commissioned like certain Old Testament books, comes with apostolic authority. Jesus prepared His disciples for further revelation (John 16:12), which would later form the New Testament. Paul, for instance, understood his writings as divinely revealed (Galatians 1:11-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 15).

Apostolic Writings as Scripture

Peter acknowledges Paul’s writings as part of the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16), indicating the early church’s recognition of the New Testament’s divine inspiration.

Transmission and Preservation

Faithfulness in Transmission

Despite not having the original manuscripts, the reliability of the biblical text is affirmed by the remarkable consistency found in the thousands of existing manuscripts. The science of textual criticism has shown that the variations do not affect any fundamental Christian doctrine.

Through some 20 centuries of laborious copying and printing, there have been no substantial variations of any important fact or doctrine. In 1400 years of copying by hand by imperfect humans who were not inspired by God, of course, there were copyist variants. In fact, in 5,898 Greek New Testament manuscripts, there are 400,000+ variants. However, after Desiderius Erasmus published the first printed Greek New Testament in 1516, dozens of world-renowned textual scholars devoted their lives to restoring the original words in the original documents. We now have in Westcott and Hort’s 1881 Greek New Testament and the 2012 Nestle-Alan 28th edition of the Greek New Testament a 99.99% mirror-like reflection of the original.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit inspired the original writing. However, the Holy Spirit was not actively preserving its message throughout history. This was no miraculous preservation but rather a miraculous restoration. This ensures that excellent literal translations using critical texts convey the necessary truths for faith and practice.

The Evolution of Textual Scholarship: From Erasmus to Modern Editions

Desiderius Erasmus and the First Printed Greek New Testament

Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch Renaissance scholar and theologian, made a monumental contribution to biblical scholarship by publishing the first printed Greek New Testament in 1516. This work, known as the Textus Receptus, was based on a handful of late medieval Greek manuscripts and significantly influenced later translations, including the King James Version. Sadly, it is technically a corrupt text based on 12th-century Byzantine texts. However, things were to change.

J. J. Griesbach’s Textual Criticism

Johann Jakob Griesbach, a German biblical scholar in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, further advanced textual criticism. He developed critical methodologies for evaluating manuscript evidence and produced a Greek New Testament that highlighted textual variants, contributing significantly to the understanding of the text’s history.

Karl Lachmann’s Methodological Advancements

Karl Lachmann, a German philologist and textual critic, made significant contributions in the early 19th century. He was one of the first to systematically apply the principles of textual criticism, previously used in classical texts, to the New Testament. Lachmann’s 1831 edition of the Greek New Testament was groundbreaking. He prioritized the oldest manuscripts available and adopted a more scientific approach to reconstructing the text, laying the groundwork for future textual critics.

Tischendorf and the Discovery of Codex Sinaiticus

Constantin von Tischendorf, another pivotal figure, is best known for discovering the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest and most complete Greek manuscripts of the Bible, at the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai. His subsequent publications, including the critical edition of the Greek New Testament in the 1860s, incorporated findings from this and other ancient manuscripts, further refining the text’s accuracy.

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles’ Scholarly Rigor

Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, an English biblical scholar, is renowned for his meticulous approach to textual criticism. His critical edition of the New Testament, published posthumously in the 1870s, was based on a thorough examination of the earliest manuscripts. Tregelles’ work is distinguished by his strict adherence to the evidence of these ancient sources, free from reliance on the Textus Receptus.

Westcott and Hort’s Critical Edition

Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, in the late 19th century, brought a new rigor to New Testament textual criticism. Their 1881 Greek New Testament was groundbreaking. It was based on what they considered to be the earliest and most reliable manuscripts, primarily Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, dating from the 4th century. Their work moved away from the Textus Receptus, significantly influencing modern biblical translations.

The period between Griesbach and Westcott & Hort was marked by a transition from a more traditional approach to textual criticism to a more scientific and evidence-based methodology. The scholars of this era played crucial roles in advancing the field, each contributing to the evolving understanding of the New Testament text. Their collective work set the stage for the critical editions produced by Westcott and Hort, and later scholars, shaping modern biblical scholarship.

The Alands’ Contributions

Kurt Aland and his wife, Barbara Aland, were instrumental in 20th-century New Testament textual criticism. They were involved in the development of the Nestle-Aland series of Greek New Testaments, a critical text that has been regularly updated with the latest scholarly research. The Nestle-Aland editions have become a standard academic text for New Testament studies.

Bruce Metzger’s Scholarship

Bruce Manning Metzger, an American biblical scholar, greatly contributed to textual criticism and the understanding of the New Testament’s original text. He was instrumental in the production of the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament and the revised standard version of the Bible. His work combined rigorous academic scholarship with a deep respect for the text’s religious significance.

The Current State of Textual Scholarship

Today, textual scholarship continues to evolve with advancements in technology and discoveries of new manuscripts. The Nestle-Aland 28th edition, a culmination of centuries of scholarship, reflects this ongoing effort. Scholars estimate that modern critical editions of the Greek New Testament, like Westcott and Hort’s and the Nestle-Aland texts, faithfully represent the original manuscripts with a high degree of accuracy, often quoted as being 99.99% reflective of the originals.

In summary, the journey from Erasmus’s first printed edition to the latest Nestle-Aland edition exemplifies the dedication and evolution of biblical scholarship over the centuries. These efforts have significantly enhanced our understanding of the New Testament’s text, bringing us closer to the original words penned by the authors.

Conclusion: The Truth and Authority of Scripture

As a result of its divine inspiration, the Bible stands as a truthful and authoritative document for faith and life. Its teachings, rooted in both divine origin and human agency, hold the ultimate standard for doctrine, morality, and spiritual guidance. The inspired nature of Scripture assures us that in its pages, we encounter the very words of God, capable of transforming lives and guiding believers in all aspects of life.

The Book Writing Process of the New Testament: Authors and Early Christian Scribes

Critical Study of the Hebrew Text: 16th Century to 21st Century

Early Critical Studies of the Hebrew Text

The 16th Century: The Complutensian Polyglot

The critical study of the Hebrew Old Testament gained momentum in the 16th century, particularly with the publication of the Complutensian Polyglot (1514-1517). This was one of the earliest printed versions of the Hebrew Bible and included Latin and Greek translations alongside the Hebrew text. The Polyglot was notable for its attempt to compare and reconcile textual variations in different languages.

The Rabbinic Bible of Jacob ben Hayyim

A landmark in Hebrew textual criticism was the Rabbinic Bible, edited by Jacob ben Hayyim and published by Daniel Bomberg in Venice between 1516 and 1525. This edition included the Masoretic Text with Masoretic notes and commentaries by medieval Jewish scholars. It laid the foundation for subsequent Hebrew Bibles.

Advancements in the 17th and 18th Centuries

The Paris and London Polyglots

In the 17th century, further polyglot Bibles were produced, such as the Paris Polyglot (1629-1645) and the London Polyglot (1657). These works were critical in comparing various texts and versions, including the Hebrew Masoretic Text.

The Work of Johann Buxtorf

Johann Buxtorf, a German Hebraist, contributed significantly to Hebrew textual criticism in the early 17th century. His Rabbinic Bible, published in 1611, was a major work that included extensive Masoretic scholarship.

19th Century: The Rise of Modern Criticism

The Ginsburg Edition

In the 19th century, Christian David Ginsburg, a Polish-born British Bible scholar, produced a critical edition of the Hebrew Bible. His work was groundbreaking in its detailed analysis of the Masoretic Text and its variants. Ginsburg’s edition, published in the 1920s, is still considered a valuable resource for scholars.

20th and 21st Century: Continued Developments

The Biblia Hebraica Series

The 20th century saw the publication of the Biblia Hebraica series, which began with Rudolf Kittel’s Biblia Hebraica (BHK) in 1906. This was followed by the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) in 1977, and later the Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ), which began publication in 2004. These editions are based on the Leningrad Codex, the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible, and include a critical apparatus that notes textual variants from other manuscripts and ancient versions.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the mid-20th century revolutionized Old Testament studies. These ancient manuscripts, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, include the oldest known copies of the Hebrew Scriptures. They have provided invaluable insights into the textual history of the Old Testament and have been incorporated into recent critical editions and translations.

The Hebrew University Bible Project

Initiated in 1956, this project aims to produce a critical edition of the Hebrew Bible based on the Aleppo Codex, another key Masoretic manuscript. This ongoing work reflects a commitment to integrating the latest manuscript discoveries and scholarly research.

Conclusion: The Evolution of Old Testament Textual Criticism

From the early printed editions of the Hebrew text to the latest critical editions, the study of the Old Testament has been characterized by a continual effort to understand and accurately represent the original text. Advances in manuscript discovery, linguistic analysis, and scholarly collaboration have contributed to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the Old Testament, reflecting its rich textual history and enduring significance.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).